Grinders



R. G. DAVIS GRINDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 22. 1954 R. G. DAVIS 8 5 9 l 9 m e S GRINDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 0G11. 22. 1954 GRINDERS Robert G. Davis, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application ctober 22, 1954, Serial No. 464,053

Claims. (Cl. 51105) This invention relates to grinders, and more particularly to apparatus for grinding annular articles.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for grinding burrs from annular articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for grinding inside edges of annular articles.

A grinder illustrating certain features of the invention may include a reciprocable rotatable spindle designed to carry an annular article against gripping ngers of a rotating chuck, which rotates the article while a grinding wheel grinds an inner corner of the article.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a grinder forming a specific embodiment thereof, .when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, top plan view of a grinder forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, partially sectional, front elevation of the grinder shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the grinder with parts thereof shown in positions different from those shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the grinder shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. S is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. l illustrating a gravity chute.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein a grinder for grinding edges or corners of annular cup-shaped articles 11. The articles 11 are placed by an operator in a feed chute 12 down which the articles slide to a rail 13 of a guideway 14 defined by spaced rails or supports 13. This positions the article in front of a slide 15 reciprocable between a retracted position not blocking the discharge end of the chute 12 and a feed position in which the slide pushes an article on the guideway 14 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, along the guideway 14 to a position against a stop 18 and over a boss or arbor 20 mounted rotatably and adjustably on a piston rod 21 projecting from a piston 22 reciprocable in a cylinder 23 between the ends thereof. v

The slide 15 is actuated by air being admitted to the upper end of the cylinder 23 by conventional means (not shown) to move the piston 22 to the bottom of the cylinder 23, which moves the boss down below the bottom of the guideway 14. As the piston rod 21 is so moved, adjustment nuts 25 and 26 engage a forked arm 27 of a bell crank lever 28 mounted pivotally on a fixed pin 29 held by a stationary bracket 30. An arm 31 of the lever 28 pulls the slide 15 to the right through a link 32 secured to the slide 15 and the arm 31. As the slide 15 is moved to the right, it pushes the article 11 at the end of the feed chute 12 against the article 11 lowered by the arbor 20 to the right in the guideway 14 and down a chute 35. After the article 11 which has just been ground is pushed to a position over the stop 1S, a cam 36 on the arm 27 engages a lever 37 nite States Patent mounted pivotally on a fixed pin 38 and turns the lever 37 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. This pivots the lever 37, which, through a cam surface 39, pushes the stop 18 upwardly above the bottom of the guideway 14 against the action of tension springs 42 secured to a pin 43 of the stop 18 and a fixed pin 44. Then the article 11 just ground tilts oft` the slide 15, thereby clearing the stop 18, and the article being pushed directly by the slide 15 is moved to the stop 18 to position the article directly over the arbor 20. A tension spring 49 is provided for urging the lever 28 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. At this time the slide 15 blocks the discharge end of the guide chute 12 to prevent the lowermost article 11 in the chute 12 from sliding onto the guideway 14.

Then an operator actuates a conventional valve, not shown, to supply air under pressure into the bottom of the cylinder 23 to move the piston rod 21 through the piston 22 upwardly, and the arbor .20 moves into the article 11 and pushes the article 11 upwardly through a tapered opening 51 in a pulley 52, which is driven by a motor (not shown) through 'a belt 55, and into a socket or annular, cup-shaped work holder 56 which centers the article 11. The arbor 20 is mounted rotatably on a thrust bearing 60, and pushes the article against lholding ngers 58 mounted by a sleeve 59 rigidly on the pulley 52. The pulley 52 is fixed to an annular mounting frame 62 mounted rotatably by a radial-andthrust bearing 63 secured to a Xed bearing support 64.

A grinding wheel 71 is rotated continuously by an arbor 72 mounted on a xed axis in which the grinding wheel projects into an opening 75 formed in the article 11 and grinds the edge 10 away, the pulley 52 rotating the article 11 through the lingers 58 so that the edge 10 is ground uniformly around the peripheries thereof. After the edge 10 has been ground by the grinding wheel 71, the operator reverses the cylinder 23 to lower the piston rod 21, the arbor 20 and the article 11 carried thereby, and the arbor 20 lowers the article 11 to the bottom of the guideway 14 and is moved from the article. After the arbor 20 is withdrawn completely from the article, the nut 25 engages and swings the bell crank lever 28 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, to move the slide 15 to the right to push the article 11 just ground to the discharge chute 35 through the article engaged by the slide. As the article being pushed to the discharge chute 35 gets slightly past the center thereof, it tilts off the guideway 14 into the slide 35. Meanwhile, the arm 27 of the lever 28 actuates the lever 37 to raise the stop 18 into the path of the article being engaged by the slide 15, and the slide 15 moves this article against the stop 18 to precisely position the article. The operation just described then may be repeated to grind the newly positioned article.

The above-described grinder serves to precisely grind the edges 10 of the articles 11, and does so with the only effort required by an operator being to load the articles 11 in therfeed chute 12 and to actuate the piston 22, or, if desired, a suitable timing circuit may be provided for automatically reciprocating lthe piston 22 with pauses with the piston 22 in its uppermost position to effect the l grinding of the edges 10.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A grinder, which comprises a grinding wheel rotated on a xed horizontal axis, a guideway extending transversely of said axis in a position below the axis, a slide movable along the guideway for pushing an article offset laterally from the grinding wheel to a position directly below the grinding wheel, a ring-like holder having a socket therein for receiving a cup-shaped article and also provided with fingers projecting over the socket for engaging the article. a rotatable spindle for entering the articles, means for reciprocating the spindle vertically from the position belo v the guideway to a position carrying an article into engagement with the fingers, a discharge chute positioned adjacent to the spindle a distance substantially less than the diameter of the article, a stop positioned between the discharge chute and the guideway, and means for pushing the stop from a position below the guideway to a position projecting into the guideway after each article has been lowered onto the guideway and pushed toward the discharge chute.

2. A. grinder, which comprises a grinding wheel rotated on a fixed horizontal axis, a guideway extending horizontally in a position below the axis for guiding a cupshaped annular article to a position directly below the grinding wheel` an annular holder having a bore therein for receiving the cup-shaped article positioned so that the periphery of the grinding wheel extends into the bore and also provided with fingers projecting over the bore for engaging the article` a rotatable arbor for entering7 the articles. means for reciprocating the arbor vertically from a position below the guideway to a position carrying the article into engagement with the fingers and gripping it therewith. and means for locating the article on the guideway between the arbor and the holder.

3. A grinder. which comprises a grinding wheel rotated on a fixed horizontal axis, a guideway extending horizontally in a position below the grinding wheel. a slide movable along the guideway for pushing a cup-shaped article offset laterally from the grinding wheel to a position directly below the grinding wheel, a feed chute for feeding articles to the guideway, a holder having a bore therein for receiving the cup-shaped article and also provided with fingers projecting7 over the bore for engag- 4 ing the article, a rotatable arbor for entering the article, means for reciprocating the arbor vertically from a position below the guideway to a position carrying an article into engagement with the fingers, a discharge chute positioned adjacent to the spindle a distance substantially less than the diameter of the article, a stop positioned between the discharge chute and the path of the arbor, and means for pushing the stop from a position below the guideway to a position projecting into the guideway after cach article has been lowered onto the guideway and pushed toward the discharge chute.

4. In an apparatus for forming articles, a guideway having spaced supports, a rotatable article holder positioned between and spaced from said supports, means moving an article in register with said article holder, a. forming tool above said supports and in alignment with said article holder, means for moving said article holder to engage and advance a .registered article into engagement with said forming tool, and drive means positioned to engage and rotate said article and holder upon movement of the article into engagement with the forming tool.

5. In an apparatus for grinding articles, a rotatably mounted article holder, a pair of rails spanning said holder, means for advancing articles along the rails into register with said work holder, an article grinding member spaced from and in alignment with said holder, a constantly rotating drive means, and means for advancing the article holder to engage and move a registered article into engagement with said drive means and said article grinding member.

References Cited in the file of this patentv UNITED STATES PATENTS 

